May 26, 2001

ORDWAY BACK IN VICTORY LANE AT OSWEGO AS IS DAVE MCKNIGHT FOR ISMA

Oswego, NY - "It's nice to be back in victory lane here at Oswego. It's been a long time, " Mike Ordway said after his win last Saturday night at Oswego Speedway. A long time indeed. Mike Ordway returned to victory lane at Oswego for the first time since June 26, 1993, when he beat Bentley Warren across the line in a 45 lap race.

Not only was it victory lane that he returned to, but he has returned with the owner he has had his greatest success in a supermodified, Clyde Booth. Together, they make a formidable team, and they showed that in the 50 lap Jim Shampine Memorial feature race for Oswego supermodifieds last race out. Jamie Moore and Shannon Groves started the first feature from the front row, with Moore taking the lead in his 88 car. Greg Furlong, Joe Payne and Mike Ordway elected to use the outside of the race surface to move to the front, while Tim Gareau and Bob Goutermout went to the outside. The field settled into a race pace early, with Moore timing in at 17.81 and 17.79 early in the race.

Moore's lead early in the race was 10 car-lengths, as Groves, Tim Snyder, Jerry Curran, Todd Stowell, Jamie Letcher, Payne, Otto Sitterly, and Ordway followed.

Furlong had the #72 on the move on the outside as he shot by Letcher, then set his sights on Stowell's 89 car. Furlong went by the 89 on lap 11, and Ordway was right in Furlong's tire tracks, following close behind. Curran, and Snyder were next on the duo's list, as in the next few laps Furlong and Ordway were in third and fourth places.

Back up front, Moore remained in control of the race, with Groves still trailing. The first yellow flag of the race came on lap 14, as a third turn wreck first slowed, then stopped the action. The cars of Tim Gareau, Tim Proud, Brian Sweeney, Scott Eldred and Ray Graham were all involved. An oil fire flared up on Proud's 22, and Graham pulled Proud from his wrecked machine. The 22 was destroyed, and Proud was taken to the Oswego Hospital as a precaution. Eldred's car was the only one to continue after the accident. Proud later returned to the track.

Once racing resumed, the field stayed in line, looking for racing room. Ordway was the first to step out of line, as he passed Snyder's 0 for fourth place on lap 18. He kept the momentum going as he wheeled his Clyde Booth prepared #61 alongside of the Furlong 72 one lap later for third. The same lap, Ordway hugged the 61 to the inside, and raced his way by Groves for second place. This time, Furlong followed Ordway through.

The scoreboard now read, Moore, Ordway and Furlong. Lap 22 was when Ordway made his move for the lead of the race. Once in front, Ordway showed he had the faster car, as he quickly put five car lengths between himself and his nearest contenders. His first lap in the lead, he stopped watches at 17.61.

Lap 27 Furlong swung his way into second place by Moore, .99 seconds behind race leader Ordway. They came into race traffic on lap 30, and Furlong chopped away at the lead. Within a few laps, the difference was only two car lengths, while Moore was 10 lengths behind in third. Groves, Snyder, Goutermout, Payne, Curran, Page and Sitterly trailed.

A lap 34 Jeff Holbrook spin slowed the furious action. Racing had a hard time getting going as a 4 car wreck stopped the action on the restart. Vern LaFave and Gene Lee Gibson got together, with Bob Bond and Bill Peri also getting involved.

From there on, Ordway pulled away easily. His lead grew to a full straightaway, as he clearly had the superior car late in the race. Ordway consistently timed at mid 17.4's. When the checkers came out, Ordway's margin of victory was 3.86 seconds ahead of Furlong.

As the top five crossed the finish line, a major wreck occurred on the front straightaway. The 18 of Page got sideways, and Otto Sitterly's 79 came into contact, sending the 79 into a barrel roll on the front straightaway. Dave Trytek and Jerry Curran were also involved. All the drivers were uninjured in the scary looking accident.

"The car handled great tonight, " Ordway said after his 19th career supermodified win. "We kept it clean, and had a good run. It's real nice to come back here and win. This is a tough place to win."

MCKNIGHT ISMA WINNER
There were many challengers, but as the song says, "the song remains the same." Dave McKnight went undefeated in the Oswego ISMA races last year, and he picked up right where he left off. Last Saturday night, McKnight made it three in a row at the track as he made a late race pass for the win. McKnight and Russ Wood traded the lead back and forth in the second half of the race, as the two talented drivers put on quite a show for the fans in the waning stages of the event.

DJ Shullick raced quickly from his inside second row starting spot to grab the lead in the ISMA feature by the third turn of lap 1. Further back, Chris Perley, Russ Wood, Dave McKnight and Joey Payne looked for racing room from their midpack starting spots.

By lap 5, Shullick built a full straightaway lead, as his pre race plan was to build as big a lead as he could before all the top contenders could run him down. Times in the 16.87 range saw the #38 come up to race traffic by lap 9. Perley and Wood used both the inside and outside grooves as they worked their way to fifth and sixth positions on lap 10. Lap 13 saw Shullick's lead up to 2.77 seconds ahead of the Patco team cars of McKnight and Doug Saunier. Lou Cicconi, Perley, Wood, Payne, Timmy Jedrzejek, Kenny Bell, and Howie Lane rounded out the top ten at this juncture of the race.

Wood and Perley continued their march forward, as they had thrilling duel going, working their way by Cicconi, then Saunier before the crossed flags part of the race.

Back up front, McKnight began chopping at DJ's lead, as it was now cut in half, to 1.33 seconds. Wood, Perley, and Cicconi were a full straightaway behind rounding out the top five. The complexion of the race changed just two laps later. Leader Shullick spun the #38 in the fourth turn, ending his dreams of an Oswego checkered flag. This put McKnight in control of the race, with Wood and Perley on his back deck.

These three pulled away on the get go. Wood challenged for the lead and took it on lap 33, as he shot the 29 by the blue 94 on the inside of the front straightaway. Wood's first lap in the lead was the quickest of the race at that point as he clocked in a 16.19.

He couldn't shake McKnight, as the lead was 5 car lengths. There were cars all around the race track, and the leaders were constantly in traffic. Lap 44 saw Wood make a wrong decision in traffic, and McKnight made him pay. McKnight drove around the 29 in traffic, and came out of the back straightaway with the lead. McKnight led by 2 lengths, but that would be all he would need. He drove the last six laps flawlessly, and took the checkered flag just ahead of Wood, Perley, Cicconi and Joey Payne.

"This place was my home for 10 years, ' McKnight said in victory lane after the race. "I had to change my breaks, then the car ran great. This is three in a row here, and nobody has done that, " exclaimed the ecstatic winner.

CAR COUNT: Supermodifieds (27) / ISMA Supers (32) / Limiteds (31) / Super Stocks (10)

SUPERMODIFIED HEAT #1
1. Shannon Groves (07) 2. Greg Furlong (72) 3. Todd Stowell (89) 4. Tim Snyder (0) 5. Dave Trytek (70) 6. Ray Graham Jr (90) 7. Gary Morton (99) 8. Brian Sweeney (3) 9. Robert Parrow (21)

SUPERMODIFIED HEAT #2
1. Mike Ordway (61) 2. Jerry Curran (24) 3. Tim Gareau Jr (5) 4. Jamie Letcher (58) 5. Scott Eldred (15) 6. Bob Bond (25) 7. Gene Lee Gibson (7) 8. Bill Peri (14) 9. Joe Hawksby Jr (2)

SUPERMODIFIED HEAT #3
1. Jamie Moore (88) 2. Otto Sitterly (79) 3. Joe Payne (66) 4. Bob Goutermout (77) 5. Howard Page (18) 6. Tim Proud (22) 7. Jeff Holbrook (35) 8. Vern LaFave (97) 9. Dave Halstead Jr (34)

SUPERMODIFIED CONSI
1. Gary Morton (99) 2. Gene Lee Gibson (7) 3. Jeff Holbrook (35) 4. Brian Sweeney (3) 5. Vern LaFave (97) 6. Bill Peri (14) 7. Robert Parrow (21) 8. Dave Halstead Jr (34)

SUPERMODIFIED FEATURE (50)
1. Mike Ordway (61) 2. Greg Furlong (72) 3. Jamie Moore (88) 4. Shannon Groves (07) 5. Bob Goutermout (77) 6. Tim Snyder (0) 7. Jerry Curran (24) 8. Otto Sitterly (79) 9. Dave Trytek (70) 10. Scott Eldred (15) 11. Gary Morton (99) 12. Howard Page (18) 13. Jeff Holbrook (35) 14. Todd Stowell (89) 15. Bill Peri (14) 16. Joe Payne (66) 17. Gene Lee Gibson (7) 18. Bob Bond (25) 19. Vern LaFave (97) 20. Jamie Letcher (58) 21. Brian Sweeney (3) 22. Tim Gareau Jr (5) 23. Tim Proud (22) 24. Ray Graham Jr (90)

ISMA SUPERS EVENT #3
ISMA HEAT #1
1. Joe Payne (66) 2. Jamie Letcher (58) 3. Lou Cicconi (75) 4. Doug Saunier (84) 5. Joe Petro (99) 6. Howard Page (18) 7. Jamie Moore (88) 8. Jim Shirey (72) 9. Jennifer Chesbro (33) 10. Pat Shullick (49)

ISMA HEAT #2
1. Kenny Bell (32) 2. Dave McKnight (94) 3. Chris Perley (11) 4. Dave Shullick Jr (38) 5. Greg Furlong (72) 6. Joe Gosek (26) 7. Joe Hawksby Jr (21) 8. Mark Sammut (78) 9. Jon Henes (36) 10. Mark Buonomo (88) DNS 11. Randy Ritskes (16) DNS

ISMA HEAT #3
1. Russ Wood (29) 2. Nokie Fornoro (4) 3. Howie Lane (97) 4. Tim Jedrzejek (7) 5. Jack Smith (83) 6. John Payne (67) 7. Brian West (15) 8. Wade Litt (07) 9. Scott Martel (14) 10. Jamie Timmons (27) DNS

ISMA CONSI
1. Joe Hawksby Jr (21) 2. Jamie Moore (88) 3. Jim Shirey (72) 4. Scott Martel (14) 5. Mark Sammut (78) 6. Jamie Timmons (27) 7. Pat Shullick (49) 8. Brian West (15) 9. Mark Buoromo (88) 10. Jennifer Chesbro (33) 11. Jon Henes (36) 12. Randy Ritskes (16)

ISMA FEATURE (50)
1. Dave McKnight (94) 2. Russ Wood (29) 3. Chris Perley (11) 4. Lou Cicconi (75) 5. Joe Payne (66) 6. Joe Gosek (26) 7. Tim Jedrzejek (7) 8. Dave Shullick Jr (38) 9. Greg Furlong (72) 10. Doug Saunier (84) 11. Howie Lane (97) 12. Joe Petro (99) 13. Howard Page (18) 14. Jack Smith (83) 15. Jamie Timmons (27) 16. Jamie Moore (88) 17. Kenny Bell (32) 18. John Payne (67) 19. Joe Hawksby Jr (21) 20. Nokie Fornoro (4) 21. Scott Martel (14) 22. Jim Shirey (72) 23. Mark Sammut (78) 24. Jamie Letcher (58) 25. Randy Ritskes (16)